Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-17
z SKINIBUS UNUM.
- Man who Wears 100 Pieces of Other
Mems skin.

a Man who Wears 16O Pieces of Other
Mems skin.
On the 18th of last May Peter McIn-
tyre, who possessed local reputation as
8 sprinter, wss severely burned In 8 fire
at Central park. The burns on his feet
healed rapidly enough, but the flesh on
his shoulders &Ba arms WSs so scOTched
that the ordi1zry process Of nature was
insufficient 20 restore it to its former
condition. It was determined By the
physic1ansto graft skin taken from other
people on the exposed surface and
thus hasten the cure. Six weeks ago
the. eperstion was begun, and since
then over 1G0 pieces OF skin have been
fastened on raw parts. 1t will be several
weeks before the last graft shall have
been attached and the bandGges removed.
All the skin was taken from the friends
of Mcintyre, who willingly contributed
the required portions of their cutIcle
Each graft was s small circular piece
about an eighth Of an inch in diameter. Il
was taken from the arm. Each subject
rolled up his sleeve in McIntyre's room,
and the surgeon raised the skin with 6
fine psir of forceps. Then with circular
scissors, he clipped the skin Off leaving
round red mark on the arm, and imme-
diateiy placed the graft on McIntyre's
wound. These gratis have been taken
from about forty men. Usually four were
supplied by each, but some OF the sick
mans friends hsve more than that num-
Der of pink marks on their left arms.
The gratis were planted about an inch
spart, as each little piece grows about
that distance over the flesh and unItes
with the other skin that IL meets. It is
transferred Immediately from one body to
enother, IS the tissue smust be tmbued
with vitality when placed on the raw
flesh, and 1t would lose all life IN
short while. The foreign character of
the skin may be detected after the healing
process is over, as it does not change its
particular hue, and is also devoid of hair
and sweat glands. Its advantage is great,
inasmuch IS when such burns cicstrize
the muscles are drawn up, and not only
is movement restrained, but deformity
follows. TIE grated skin is elastic and
obviates sll such unpleasant results. re
Intyre looks anything but an athlete now.
He has been sick man since the fire, and
has fallen away very much. During the
past three days ne said yesterday, he had
| eaten nothing. The Caledonisn club win
give him benefit on Thursday evening
Instances Of the grating of many pieces
OF skin, as in this case, have not been
common here. The process itself is COM
parstivelV new, having been discovered in
1859 by RiverdeD, q Partisan surgeon.
de noticed little islets of skin growing on
raw surfaces, found that they had pro
| ceeded from little germs of skin that had
not been destroyed, and concluded that
| transplated skin would thrive in the same
manner. Ithad previously been supposed
that Ii would take covering of cuticule as
large as the wound or sore itself to make
8 successful grating, and such large area
Of skin could not be obtained. Since then
/ tbs various kiHdsof skin-the tissue Of
chickens, frogs, young pigs and other ami
mals-hays been experimental with, but
for successful transplating human skin
has been found necessary.